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International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science Research
Universal Research Publications. All rights reserved
ISSN: 2249-0337
Review Article
A REVIEW ON PHYTOCHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS AND BIOLOGICAL
ASSAYS OF AVERRHOA BILIMBI.
K. Ashok Kumar, SK. Gousia, Anupama, M. And J. Naveena Lavanya Latha.*
Department of Biotechnology, Krishna University, Machilipatnam-520001, A.P. India.
Received 22 August 2013; accepted 19 September 2013
Abstract
Averrhoa bilimbi is a multipurpose, long-lived tropical plant commonly known as ―Bilimbi, Cucumber Tree‖ belonging to
family Oxalidaceae. The plant has an enormous fiscal value since most of the parts like leaves, bark, flowers, fruits, seeds,
roots or the whole plant are used as alternative medicine to treat a variety of diseases especially diabetes. In the present
review, we tried to give the existing information on photochemical constituents, conventional medicinal uses and antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, cyto- toxic activities, anti-oxidant activity, antifertility, and antibacterial activities and other
biological activities of Averrhoa bilimbi..The extract of various parts of Averrhoa bilimbi is medicinally used as a folk
remedy for many symptoms and showed significant pharmacological activities so it is necessary to perform further
investigation to isolate such pharmacological active compounds which can be used in production of novel drugs for various
diseases. Overall, this paper gives an overview on covering the biology, and various commercial and therapeutic
applications.
© 2013 Universal Research Publications. All rights reserved
Keywords : Averrhoa bilimbi , phytochemical constituents., Pharmacological, Therapeutic applications.
INTRODUCTION
From ancient times plants have provided a source of
inspiration for novel drug compounds, as plant derived
medicines have made large contributions to human health
and
well being. (1) Many Indian Plants are used
therapeutically for their antidiabetic effect and antibacterial
activities. (2) Averrhoa bilimbi (Bilimbi) is medicinally
used as a folk remedy for many symptoms. It is used for the
treatment of fever, mumps, pimples, inflammation of the
rectum and diabetes, itches, boils, rheumatism, syphilis,
bilious colic, whooping cough, hypertension, stomach ache,
ulcer and as a cooling drink.(3).
Classification of Averrhoa bilimbi, L
Kingdom:
Plantae Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta- Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta- Seed plants
Division; MagnoliophytaFlowering plants
Class: Dicotyledonae
Subclass: Rosidae
Order: Oxalidales
Family: Oxalidaceae
Genus: Averrhoa
Species: blimbi L.
The bilimbi, Averrhoa bilimbi, L., (Oxalidaceae), is closely
allied to the carambola but quite different in appearance,
manner of fruiting, flavor and uses. The only strictly
English names are "cucumber tree" and "tree sorrel",
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bestowed by the British in colonial times. "Bilimbi" is the
common name in India and has become widely used.
Other names:
Averrhoa obtusangula stokes, Belimbing asam,
Belimbing buluh, Belimbing wuluh,
Kamias, kalamias, Iba, kolonanas, Ta-ling-pring
Common names:
Creole: bimbling plum, blimblin
English: bilimbi, cucumber tree, tree sorrel
Filipino: kamias
French: blimblim, blinblin, carambolier bilimbi,
cornichon des Indes, zibeline, zibeline blonde
Indonesian: belimbing asam, belimbing wuluh
Khmer: tralong tong
Malay: belimbing asam, belimbing buloh, billingbilling,
Spanish: grosella china, mimbro, pepino de Indias,
tiriguro, vinagrillo
Thai: kaling pring, taling pling (4)
Origin and Distribution
Perhaps a native of the Moluccas, the bilimbi is cultivated
throughout Indonesia; is cultivated and semi-wild
everywhere in the Philippines; is much grown in Ceylon
and Burma. It is very common in Thailand, Malaya and
Singapore; frequent in gardens across the plains of India,
and has run wild in all the warmest areas of that country.
In 1793, the bilimbi was carried from the island of Timor to
Jamaica and, after some years, was planted in Cuba and
International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science Research 2013; 3(4): 136-139
Puerto Rico, Trinidad, the lowlands of Central America,
Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Surinam, Guyana and
Brazil, and even in northern Argentina, and it is very
popular among the Asiatic residents of those countries as it
must be in Hawaii. Still it is grown only as an occasional
curiosity in southern Florida (5).
flowers of A.bilimbi.
Description
The tree is attractive, long-lived, reaches 16 to 33 ft (5-10
m) in height; has a short trunk soon dividing into a number
of upright branches. The leaves, very similar to those of the
Otaheite gooseberry and mainly clustered at the branch
tips, are alternate, imparipirmate; 12 to 24 in (30-60 cm)
long, with 11 to 37 alternate or subopposite leaflets, ovate
or oblong, with rounded base and pointed tip; downy;
medium-green on the upper surface, pale on the underside;
3/4 to 4 in (2-10 cm) long, 1/2 to11/8in (1.2-1.25 cm) wide.
Small, fragrant, 5-petalled flowers, yellowish-green or
purplish marked with dark-purple, are borne in small, hairy
panicles emerging directly from the trunk and oldest,
thickest branches and some twigs, as do the clusters of
curious fruits. The bilimbi is ellipsoid, obovoid or nearly
cylindrical, faintly 5-sided, 1 1/2 to 4 in (4-10 cm) long;
capped by a thin, star-shaped calyx at the stem-end and
tipped with 5 hair-like floral remnants at the apex. The fruit
is crisp when unripe, turns from bright-green to yellowishgreen, ivory or nearly white when ripe and falls to the
ground. The outer skin is glossy, very thin, soft and tender,
and the flesh green, jelly-like, juicy and extremely acid.
There may be a few (perhaps 6 or 7) flattened, disc-like
seeds about 1/4 in (6 mm) wide, smooth and brown (6).
Natural Habitat
A. bilimbi is a tropical tree, more sensitive to cold
especially when very young. It prefers direct sunlightand
seasonally humid climates, with evenly distributed rainfall
throughout most of the year but there should be a 2-3
month dry season (7).
Varieties:- Bilimbis are all much the same wherever they
are grown, but P.J. Wester reported that a form with sweet
fruits had been discovered in the Philippines.
Climate:- The bilimbi is a tropical species, more sensitive
to cold. The tree makes slow growth in shady or semishady situations. It should be in full sun.
137
Soil: - While the bilimbi does best in rich, moist, but welldrained soil, it grows and fruits quite well on sand or
limestone.
Propagation:-Most efforts at grafting and budding have
not been rewarding, Air-layering has been practiced in
Indonesia for many years. However, the tree is more widely
grown from seed. Bilimbi trees are vigorous and receive no
special horticultural attention. (8)
Parts used: Leaves, Flower, Fruits
The fruit conserve is administered as a treatment for
coughs, beri-beri and biliousness. Syrup prepared from the
fruit is taken as a cure for fever and inflammation and to
stop rectal bleeding and alleviate internal hemorrhoids.
The leaves are applied as a paste or poulticed on itches,
swellings of mumps and rheumatism, and on skin eruption.
They are applied on bites of poisonous creatures.
Malaysians take the leaves fresh or fermented as a
treatment for venereal disease. A leaf infusion is a remedy
for coughs and is taken after childbirth as a tonic. A leaf
decoction is taken to relieve rectal inflammation.
A flower infusion is said to be effective against coughs and
thrush. In Java, the fruits combined with pepper are eaten to
cause sweating when people are feeling "under the
weather". A paste of pickled bilimbi is smeared all over the
body to hasten recovery after a fever.
In some villages in India, the fruit of the bilimbi was used
in folk medicine to control obesity. This led to further
studies on its Antihyperlipidemic properties (9).
Phytochemical constituents
The fruit extracts contain flavonoids, saponins and
triterpenoid.
The chemical constituents of A. bilimbi include
Amino acids,
citric acid,
cyanidin–3–O–h–D–glucoside,
phenolics, potassium ion, sugars ,
International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science Research 2013; 3(4): 136-139
vitamin A.
The Bark extracts contains - Alkolids, saponins,
flavonoids.(10)
Nutrition in Bilimbi :Bilimbi is a nutrition-packed, starchy fruit that grows
mostly on the trunk of tall trees. It is a rich source of
VitaminC.Otherthanthe vitamins and minerals,the fruit also
consists offibre,ash,protein and moisture aswellas minerals.
Nutritional value for 100 g of edible portion0 g
Vitamin B1 (thiamine) 0.010 mg
Ascorbic Acid 15.6 mg
Vitamin A 0.036 mg
Moisture—94.2-94.7g
Protein--0.61g
Fiber--0.6g
Ash--0.31-0.40g
Calcium--3.4g
Phosphorus--11.1mg
Iron--1.01mg
Caroten--e0.035mg
Thiamine--0.010mg
Riboflavin--0.302mg
Niacin--0.302mg
Ascorbic Acid--15.5mg (11)
Pharmacological profile of Averrhoa bilimbi
Various extracts of fruit and leaves of Averrhoa bilimbi
have antidiabetic, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic activities, anti-oxidant activity, antifertility, and
antibacterial activities. These properties of Averrhoa
bilimbi fruit have been accredited to its saponins, tannins
and Flavonoids.
Anti-diabetic activity:Ethanolic leaf extract of Averrhoa bilimbi and its semi–
purified
fractions
possesses
hypoglycemic
and
hypolipidemic properties in Type I diabetic rats when
administered intraperiton eally as well as orally. The semi–
purified fractions of the ethanolic extract of Aver rhoa
bilimbi leaves such as AF (Aqueous Fraction) and BuF
(Butanol Fraction) have potent hypoglycemic and
hypotriglyceridemic properties in HFD–STZ–diabetic rats.
AF (125 mg/kg BW) caused a significant hypoglycemic
effect at 30 min, 60 min, 120–min and 180 min when
compared with vehicle control. The body weight food and
water intakes of the rats did not differ significantly in AF
and BuF–treated diabetic rats.The semi–purified fractions
of the ethanolic extract of Averrhoa bilimbi leaves such as
AF and BuF ameliorated diabetes in HFD–STZ–diabetic
rats. Moreover, AF is more potent than BuF in the
amelioration of hyperglycemia and hypertriglyceridemia.
However,
the
chemical
nature
of
potential
antihyperglycemic component (s) of AF and BuF remains
to be elucidated. (12)
Antimicrobial Activity
Antibacterial activity of aqueous and chloroform extracts of
the leaves and fruits of Averrhoa bilimbi L. using the
standard disc diffusion test the crude dried extracts, which
were prepared in the different concentrations prior to the
antibacterial assay. The results obtained demonstrated the
potential of A. bilimbi extracts against some of the Grampositive and-negative bacteria. The 100 mg mL-1 aqueous
138
extract of A. bilimbi’s leaves and fruits showed positive
antibacterial activity against the Gram-positive S. aureus, S.
epidermis B. cereus, C. diphteriae with the latter also gave
positive effect against K. rhizophila. Both extracts also
exhibited positive antibacterial activity against the Gramnegative S. typhi, C. fuendii and A. hydrophila. On the
other hand, the 100 mg mL 1 chloroform extracts of A.
bilimbi’s leaves and fruits demonstrated antibacterial
activity against the Gram-positive S. aureus, S. epidermis,
B. cereus, K. rhizophila and C. diphteriae and Gramnegative S. typhi, C. fuendii, A. hydrophila and P. vulgaris.
In conclusion, the A. bilimbi leaves and fruits possess
potential antibacterial activity (13).
Cytotoxic activity
Methanolic extract of Averrhoa bilimbi fruits and its
different fractions were assessed for cytotoxic potential
using brine shrimp lethality bioassay which is a wellaccepted assay for the primary screening of plant extracts.
In methanolic extract and its four fractions showed
significant cytotoxic potential demonstrating that samples
are biologically active, The LC50 values of crude
methanolic extract, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, petether and aqueous soluble fractions of Averrhoa bilimbi
fruits were found to be 0.005, 5.691, 1.198, 0.781 and
6.123μg/ml, respectively. Therefore, the obtained result
tends to suggest that plant extract of Averrhoa bilimbi fruits
may be candidate for anticancer therapy. In light of the
results of the present study, it can be concluded that the
plant extract and its fractions possesses cytotoxic potential.
Positive result of methanolic extract and its different
organic solvent soluble fractions led us to the inference that
the plant extract may contain bioactive compounds (14).
Antithrombotic& antioxidant activities
Antithrombotic and antioxidant activities of Averrhoa
bilimbi Linn in normal and diabetic rats.(15) different
methanol/water extracts, and their total phenolic content
(TPC) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) compared. The
TAC was evaluated using established in vitro models such
as 1,1,diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl radical scavenging
activity, 2,2´-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic
acid) scavenging assay, total reducing power, phosphor
molybdenum assay and metal chelating activity. All the
extracts of the dried fruit showed lower TPC compared to
the fresh bilimbi extracts by 23-88%, TAC of which
corresponded accordingly. The investigation revealed that
A. bilimbi was a good source of antioxidants (16).
Toxicity studies
The preliminary general toxicity of A. bilimbi fruit in mice
it was conducted by Savithri et al has studied Oral
administration of the fruit homogenate daily for 15 days did
not result in any toxic symptoms up to a dose of 1 g/kg
(17).
Thrombolytic activity
Natural sources the extractives of Averrhoa bilimbi were
assessed for thrombolytic activity and the resulted ad,
Addition of 100μl SK, a positive control (30,000 I.U.), to
the clots and subsequent incubation for 90 minutes at 37°C,
showed 92.81% lysis of clot. At the same time, distilled
water was treated as negative control which exhibited
negligible lysis of clot (1.32%). In this study, the
International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science Research 2013; 3(4): 136-139
chloroform soluble fraction (CSF) exhibited highest
thrombolytic activity (8.13%), these are used for the
discovery of cardio-protective drugs (18).
Antifertility
Study in mice showed the kamias fruit as a potential source
of antifertility drug. A butanol fraction of the ethanol
extract exhibited a higher reduction in fertility rate. The
activity may be due to either or both of the steroidal
glucosides and potassium oxalate constituents.
Conclusion
Plants are the major source for bio-active compounds they
are meant for several biological activities in human and
animals. As the prevalence of obesity and Diabetes mellitus
are very common in our society, research on plants with
antidiabetic and antibacterial properties as evidenced by the
current research on the various plant parts. For optimum
effect in patients, the components responsible should be
isolated, purified and further clinical trials has to be
conducted. By using the fruit of A.bilimbi
many
pharmacological works are done but pharmacological
potential of other parts of the plant is required to be worked
out and fractions or purified compounds for potential
anticancer and antitumor activity, which may aid ongoing
anticancer drug discovery. Hence, further studies are
recommended to be undertaken to isolate the exact
compound(s) and to better recognize the mechanism of
such actions scientifically.
Acknowledgement:
The authors are grateful to the authors/editors of all those
articles, journals and books from where the data for this
article has been reviewed and discussed.
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Source of support: Nil; Conflict of interest: None declared
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International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science Research 2013; 3(4): 136-139